Benchmarking which is a comparison of performance outcomes from a process to a norm is a useful tool for measuring quality and developing methods of improving a process.
One example of an area in which benchmarking is particularly useful is in monitoring ambulatory surgery procedures. Professional organizations have made attempts to acquire and tabulate ambulatory surgical procedures outcomes data for benchmarking. These attempts have suffered three deficiencies. First the data is typically taken from secondary sources such as billings or claims records and not from the patient. Second, uniform criteria are not applied in obtaining the data collection. Third, data is typically compiled and distributed in a hard copy form and cannot be accessed in a convenient internet dispersed form.